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E39 (1997 - 2003) The BMW 5-Series (E39 chassis) was introduced in the United States as a 1997 model year car and lasted until the 2004 when the E60 chassis was released. The United States saw several variations including the 525i, 528i, 530i and 540i. -- View the E39 Wiki

People always come on and ask "What should I service on my new E39?" Or, say you bought a car that simply was never serviced beyond oil/tires/brakes. Sometimes, people want to do one "huge ball off wax" servicing of pretty much anything likely to break sooner or later on most E39 BMWs. Here are some ideas:

I've always struggled with this topic of (things that will go bad, even if they haven't yet, so plan ahead).

I think the problem with most maintenance checklists for the E39 is merely that there are so many of them.

Basically, there are so many that it's hard to find the 'canonical' E39 maintenance list.

Here is one I tried to start for checking and cleaning (but not replacing):
- Maintenance checklist of filters and components to be periodically checked & cleaned in the BMW E39 (1)

And, another I started on what small parts to stock for replacing when you happen to be in the area:
- What stuff (parts, fluids, gaskets, o-rings, filters, scanners, tools, etc.) should we stock in our garage for eventual use (1)

Here is a set of common things that break on the E39:
- Compendiums on common problems, fixes, & repairs for parts that go bad on the E39 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)